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Issue #50 – Job Opportunities & Student Successes
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
The Recording Connection placed Brian as an apprentice with composer/engineer Dick Orr at John Wagner Studios in Albuquerque, NM. Since starting his apprenticeship, Brian has already been immersed in a wide range of projects, although he says Dick personalizes the instruction to his interests.
“He really works on just about everything,” says Brian. “If he sees there’s something that I have an interest in more than just what the curriculum is going over at the time, then he’ll spend some time with me on that, keeping my interest…It’s really a pleasure, honestly, just to be mentored by him.”
Brian says his focus is on electronic styles of music ranging from electro to house to dubstep, and he’s impressed that even though the studio leans toward other musical styles, Dick takes his musical interests in stride. “He’s around all kinds of music so it’s not a shocker to him.” Even so, for a guy whose EDM style is typically centered on samples and “in-the-box” computer plug-ins, Brian says being in the studio has greatly expanded his perspective.
“I have seen the foundation of recording, the process and stuff like that, but I never have seen it in-depth in the studio,” he says. “Now I’m always thinking about the space where [something] was recorded. You can even hear some of the ambience in the background to give you, actually, a good picture in your head of where that was recorded, how it was recorded, if they used a couple of microphones, whether it be mono or stereo. It’s really interesting.”
Pensado’s Place is an informative and instructional YouTube program for audio engineers and music producers, hosted by Grammy-winning engineer Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick, and featuring interviews and advice from top-shelf music industry professionals. A long-time partner with the Recording Connection, Pensado’s Place has provided full-ride scholarships for multiple students to apprentice in real recording studios through the Recording Connection program.
“One of the greatest pleasures Herb and I have is the opportunity to educate,” says Dave. “The fact that we can partner with shops like Recording Connection, offer Pensado’s Place Scholarships and then watch the recipient grow and succeed makes it all worthwhile.”
As for Brian Zadel, he’s been making the most of the opportunity, diving in with both feet. “I know by the end of the program, I’m going to have a vast amount of knowledge that I didn’t have, not even a year ago,” he says. “I’m just glad to be a little lucky and I’m glad I took that chance.”
Brian’s advice to other apprentices? “Listen, take notes…write it down, go back to it and let it sink in, and practice, practice, practice, practice. That’s all you should be doing outside of class.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. 🙂
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